Down to the Waterline

Darren Hutchens and Nathan Corunna

Title: Down to the Waterline

Artist/s: Darren Hutchens and Nathan Corunna

Year: 2025

Category:  Mural

Site: Lord Street embankment, Bassendean

Location Details: Retaining wall in the rail reserve, west of Success Hill Station, and northern bridge abutment under Lord Street, along PSP.

Artist/s Statement: "Down to the waterline" is a hand painted mural by Darren Hutchens and Nathan Corunna for the Public Transport Authority in Bassendean.  The epic work encompasses the Lord Street rail reserve embankment, bridge abutment and Success Hill station footbridge.

The strength of the work is in its simplicity. It clearly depicts the seasonal journey of the snake necked turtle from its home on the river bank to the water and back again. This is symbolic of our daily journeys as commuters using public transport, driving, cycling or walking.

Utilising colour, pattern, shape, scale and repetition, it tells the story of the development of turtles from egg to adult. Enlarged linear patterns fill the vast space, suggesting the reflectinve and changing nature of the river's surface.

Artwork elements are simplistic in style and clearly visible over long distances and for short periods. At such a large scale it is impossible to view the entire piece from one point or angle. The artists have strategically placed the turtles, eggs and other features along the length of the wall, allowing the narrative o fthe the work to unfold over time when viewed from the passing trains.

The depiction of the turtle's life cycle suggests familial connection to place over generations. This, then is the key message of the artwork, that all things are connected over time.

Darren Hutchens, 29 August 2025